Thursday, August 25, 2011

Kickball Tourney

Months ago my brother let me know that his kickball team in Arizona might be travelling to Austin to play in a tourney. I was pretty stoked because that meant that Jim and I would be able to play. HOWEVER, when we were talking about his trip it was in the spring when it wasn't extremely hot in Austin. I was soooo worried as the tourney date came up because Austin has been under such an extreme heat.

The weekend came for the tourney and we were loaded up on water, water and more water, along with power aid, sun screen, and more water. Chris and Lindsay played with us in the tourney and they did so well!! Jim kicked ass as well! I was ehhhh.... I knew I was out of shape but it didn't help that I pulled my vagina (aka... groin) muscle in the first game. I continued to play but I knew I wasn't at 100%. But the tourney must go on!

Playing rock, paper, sissors to determine who has home field advantage

Jim with his first kick... and it was a HOME RUN! Nice job babe!

Chris and Lindsay were so AWESOME... they brought this tent for us to use. The high was 107 on that day and there wasn't any type of covering at the field. This tent was super nice to get away from the sun.

Kicking the ball.... I was thrown out at first :(

Team cheering on our players

Val kicking the ball

Chris made an awesome grab out in the outfield

Lee kicking the ball... he had a really great tourney

Chris kicking the ball

Cooling off under the tent

Lee the coach with his Urban Outfitters hat :) Nice catch Jimmy! Aaron pitching. I didn't realize how sideways he got during pitching

Lindsay had a really good game too!! This was her and Chris' first time playing,, they both did really well!

Even though the heat was a ball buster and we had some health issues, I would totally play in another kickball tourney!! I had a lot of fun and I'm glad that Lee and his team made the trip to Austin!!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Saturday Fun Roaming Night

We didn't have any plans on Saturday night so we originally thought we would split our time between 2 places. We were going to have appetizers and drinks at each place. Our plans changed slightly when we decided we didn't want to drive once we found a parking place.

We started our night at Trio which is inside of the Four Seasons. They have an excellent happy that runs 5pm-7pm Monday through Saturday. Yes people.... they have a happy hour on Saturday :) I have been to their happy hour in the past, but this was Jim's first time. All of their appetizers and glasses of wine are half off. Can I get a hell yeah!?!!?

I looked up and noticed their incredibly modern and cool light fixture. I like the fixture way better looking up than seeing it from across the restaurant.

While I wanted to order one of everything I had to remind myself that we were making other food stops that night. We decided on the pulled pork sliders and the truffle mac and cheese. All was EXCELLENT! The only slight bitch I have about the meal is I wish the buns were different on the pulled pork sliders. They looked like something we would find in HEB. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's Trio and I wanted better than what appeared to be HEB buns! The mac and cheese was just heavenly. So cheesy and so delish that it put a big smile on both of our faces.

After Trio we stopped in at Shoreline Grill and reminisced about our wedding there.. almost 7 years ago! :) Such happy and fun times!! We were going to try to get a self portrait under the gazebo, but just as we were going to try, a wedding party walked out, so we didn't want to get in the way! (no guests, but they were about to rehearse!)

We walked down to Town Lake (still can't call it Lady Bird Lake) to see if the bats were getting ready to take off but we were to early and didn't feel like waiting in the blistering sun. However, the light was great, so we took a photo with the help of another person waiting to see the bats.

Our next stop was at Hanks Garage. I have heard some buzz about this Belgium Pub so we thought we would give it a try.
Duck Fat Fries!! Duck Fat Fries!! I think duck fat fries are the new thing because I keep hearing about them all over the place. So when I saw them on the menu we ordered a small with 2 dipping sauces... garlic aioli and a grain mustard/mayo mix. While these fries were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, they tasted just like fries. I don't know what I was supposed to expect but they tasted like good french fries. I was a little let down by the sauces.... the garlic aioli was mostly just mayo. I hardly tasted the garlic.. so much so that I dipped my finger in the sauce to see if the sauce was weak or if the fry was just overpowering in taste. The garlic taste was almost non-existent. BUT the fries were delish so I'll overlook the dipping sauces!

After our fries and beer, we headed over to Second Bar and Kitchen. I have been wanting to eat there ever since they opened. This may not have been the best time to go eat there since I was already getting full. I had a talk with my stomach and told it to get ready because i was about to eat just a little more. Jim said he was done eating, but I knew that he would still have a few bites of what ever I ordered. They have so many great sounding items like the Blue Crab and Corn fritters, Buffalo Fried Pickles, Baked Ricotta and Goat Cheese.... but ultimately I kept looking at the Bacon and Eggs. Per the menu at Second.... Bacon and Eggs- Crisp Pork Belly, poached egg, frisee, orange, maple gastrique and croutons. As soon as this was put down in front of me, I broke out in a huge smile.

The pork belly was delightful, the frisee gave a nice cool crunch, the egg was perfect with the pork belly... and who could deny the maple gastrique? I loved every single bite and cannot wait to try it again. My minor complaint was the egg did not have a runny yolk.

We had such a fun time!! I think we are going to have to do this again soon. Pick a few places, have one drink and one appetizer/small plate at each place to be able to try multiple places.

Sunday, August 07, 2011

Saturday, August 06, 2011

F*R*I*E*N*D*S

Over the past few weeks we have been busy with friends birthdays and catching up with a friend that has been living in Hawaii. We are very blessed to have such great friends and we always have a wonderful time with them.

We met up with friends for dinner at Malaga for Magens's birthday. It has been years since we have been there (it was at their old location) so we were looking forward to getting our grub on with friends. We ordered 3 tapa's to share.....

Croquetas de Pollo y Jamon -- Four crispy and creamy chicken and Jamon Serrano croquettes served with our house made saffronaioli and a side of gazpacho sauce

Hands down the beef tenderloin was our favorite. The meat was so tender and simply seasoned so the beef flavor was spot on. The scallops were also very tasty but I wasn't a fan of the basil leaves. They brought a nice flavor to the scallop but it was slightly overpowering. The croquettes were good but they didn't have a wow factor. The saffron aioli was delicious and it was a nice dipping sauce for the scallop. I didn't take any pictures of the food due to a fairly dark restaurant and I was seated next to a few ladies that I had just met. I'm still a little embarrassed to take food photos around people that I just met. Silly I know, but one day I'll get over it.

After dinner we walked over to The Royal... at least that is what I think it is called, it is where the Apple Bar was. They have a great patio but half of it is roped off for the special VIP peeps in Austin. From the other side of velvet rope, it appeared that they had some comfy looking cushioned bench seats around large tables. I'm not bitter about being on the wrong side of the velvet ropes... (maybe a little)

Nick and Magen, the birthday girl

Magen the Rockstar

Chris and Lindsay with downtown Austin in the background. The views from the rooftop were beautiful

Hubs and I

Magen, me, Jim, Chris and Lindsay

John, Nick, Chris, Joe and Jim

Lindsay and I....I'm in small heels and Lindsay is in flats and she still has at least 6 inches on me :)

A couple weeks later we met up at Nicole and Stevens for dinner. Rachel was in town from Hawaii and this gave us the perfect opportunity to catch up. Nicole grilled up some sliders with caramelized onions and garlic aioli, Rachel brought a salad with lots of toppings, I brought stuffed mushrooms and mini-cup cakes with a caramel butter cream frosting. All of the food was wonderful!

Michelle and Rachel

Me, Nicole and Steven

Jennifer, Rachel, me and Nicole

HAM ALERT!!

Last weekend we met up with friends at Icenhouse for Erin's birthday. I'm a big fan of the Rainey street bars. 4 cool bars on the same block, food trailers around each bar, and a laid back feeling. Parking can suck balls, but overall a great place to hang out.